In Focus: Uganda

11.17.11 - The
Center for Reproductive Rights has embarked on a series of new projects in
Uganda as part of its wider work in the African region. Working to highlight reproductive rights
violations in the country, the Center has researched and submitted two shadow
letters on the current state of reproductive rights in Uganda. One letter was submitted to the African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the other, in partnership with the
Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda), was submitted to the CEDAW
Committee. The Center has also embarked
upon a project to map Uganda’s abortion laws and policies, in order to dispel
myths and misconceptions about the law on abortion.

As
in many other countries with unclear abortion laws, most Ugandans, including women, healthcare
providers, lawyers, and advocates for women's health, are largely unaware
of when and under what circumstances abortion services can be legally
provided and what types of providers (nurses, midwives, doctors, clinical
officers) can offer these services. Most people believe abortion is completely
illegal.

The
Center has conducted extensive research, which includes reviewing relevant
policies and training manuals, analyzing laws and court cases, and interviewing
lawyers and healthcare providers in Uganda. Our findings revealed that the
legal and policy framework is much more expansive than most people believe and
that opportunities exist for providing safe and legal abortion services in
Uganda.

Below
are resources that assist and support the Center’s ongoing work in Uganda to
increase access to reproductive rights:

This
factsheet outlines 10 key facts about Uganda’s abortion law. It can be a useful tool for advocates,
healthcare providers, media, and government officials to help
clarify the law and dispel widespread misconceptions about what the law says
and requires.

This
resource contains the full shadow letter submitted to the CEDAW Committee in
2010, along with the resulting concluding observations from the Committee as
well as concluding observations from the African Commission during their most recent
review of Uganda.